Analysis unveiled: China's Belt and Road Initiative in Perspective
The future of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a grand strategy for global economic influence, remains uncertain. This organizing logic for Chinese international relations, first announced in 2013, references the ancient Silk Road trade routes and has been incorporated into the Chinese constitution in 2017.
A recent study by the Civic Media Observatory sheds light on the complexities of the BRI, focusing on Chinese technology transfer, soft power, communications, and public information about infrastructure investment and development. The research project, conducted since 2021 as a participatory research project, analysed narratives about the intersection of these topics and how China advances narratives that bolster its drive for global power.
The study, published in September 2021, comprises a dataset of qualitative research and analysis focused on influential media narratives and key media sources. It analyses 748 media items that illustrate local perceptions of the BRI in 14 countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt. The research involved working with local researchers and writers around the world to examine how local perspectives either support or counter China's ambitions.
Local narratives can influence and sometimes halt Chinese development ambitions. The BRI narrative is often contentious between China's promoted narratives and diverse local narratives of citizens, activists, journalists, and governments. China attempts to wield influence through local, often elite proxies, either to support its perspectives or suppress public discussion.
Other countries attempt to build up counter-narratives promoting their own vision of development, often in competition or uneasy cooperation with the Chinese vision. The public dataset, built in Airtable, offers relational links and filters for study and provides numerous points of entry for curious readers and researchers.
The study published 37 stories based on this dataset that synthesize the analysis. These stories are now available for download as a PDF. The Civic Media Observatory will revisit themes and narratives found in the research over the next few months, exploring how they are playing out in 2023.
In September 2021, the Chinese government introduced a new plan called the Global Development Initiative, which lacks the flair and scope of the BRI and could be mistaken for a UN project or a think tank initiative. This new plan may signal a shift in China's approach to global influence, but the BRI's impact and legacy will continue to be a topic of interest and study for researchers and policymakers alike.
The public database can be accessed at [link to the database]. For those interested in delving deeper into the study, the Civic Media Observatory's research provides a valuable resource for understanding the complexities and nuances of the BRI and its impact on international relations.
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